Hopedale garage destroyed by fire

A fire, fueled by exploding propane tanks, destroyed a two-story garage on South Main Street yesterday morning, officials said.

Krista Perry/Daily News staff

A fire, fueled by exploding propane tanks, destroyed a two-story garage on South Main Street yesterday morning, officials said.

The fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. in a detached garage at 380 South Main St., said Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Daige. The home is about 30 feet away.

When firefighters arrived, the 24-by 24-foot garage was engulfed in flames, said Daige.

The one-alarm fire spread quickly because the owner stored propane and gun ammunition there, said Daige. Gas cylinders in the garage exploded and the chemicals caused the fire to spread quickly and hampered the efforts of the 30 firefighters who responded, Daige said.

Daige said the fire started due to faulty electrical wiring.

"It was just a lot of fire, it was very heavily involved," said Daige.

In addition to the ammunition and propane, the garage contained a lot of machinery which was also destroyed, he said.

Milford and Mendon also responded to the fire while Upton provided station coverage, Daige said.